Artificial leg



(No Model.)

W. D. LEWIS..

ARTIFIGIAL LEG.

Patented May 29,1883.

bv's Awwrmy N PETERa Pholoiiihognphur, Washington. D4 C UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. LEWIS, OF PLYMOUTH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,566, dated May 29,1883.

Application filed April 26, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. LEWIS, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, at present residing at Plymouth, in the-county of Luzerne andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsilrArtificial Legs; and I' do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description'of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertnins to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersor figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification, in which Figure l is a perspective, showing-arrangementof supports, &c. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the centerof the anklejoint. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are details.

My invention has for its object to provide an artificial leg and footwhich will be very strong and durable, which ismade of light material,and can be readily and easily adjusted and held in place; and itconsists in certain novel construction and arrangement of parts, which Iwill now proceed to more fully describe and claim.

Referring to the drawings. similar letters of reference indicate likeparts. I

' desired.

A is the thigh-socket, which is made 0 strong sole-leather of sufficientelasticity to adapt itself to the shape of the limb. Said socketA isopen infront, and is provided with straps and buckles a at the top andbottom, and intermediate lacing, a, by means of which the. thigh-socketcan be neatly and' easily fitted to the stump of the .leg.

U is a broad supporting-strap, which passes over the shoulder of thewearer, to one end of which are attached the straps b b, which aresecured to the front of the thigh-socket by the buckles b b. To theother end of the strap 0. is attached the strap a, which is secured tothe rear of the thigh-socket by the. buckle 0. By means of these strapsb and 0 the supporting-strap can be adjusted to suit the size of thewearer, and the foot can be' turned in or out, as desired, by tighteningor loosening one or the other of said straps.

D is the lower leg section or socket, made of wood or other suitablematerial, and may be covered with buckskin or other material, if

E are metal strapsfastened to each side ofthe thigh-socket, and arehinged to the metal straps F, thus forming the knee-joint-e. The strapsF are formed in two parts, and, being secured to each side of the lowerleg-section, serve to strengthen the same.

The knee joint or hinge e is provided with shoulders or stops 0, whichprevent the lower leg-section from coming forward past the vertical lineof the thigh-socket.

f is a metal band surrounding and bracing the upper part of theleg-section, and prevents the same from splitting.

G is the foot, formed of one solid piece, and is hinged to theleg-section by means of a bolt, 9, which forms the ankle joint.

H are pins secured to the foot, and enter the holes h in theleg-section. Said pins are surrounded bythe spiral springs I, by meansof which the unpleasant jar generally experienced in artificial legs isgreatly lessened, and which springs serve to throw the foot back into aposition at right angles to the vertical line of the lower leg-sectionwhen the weight of the wearer is removed from the same.

K are projections or shoulders, which limit the movement of theankle-joint.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. In an artificial leg, the thigh-section A,having the straps a and lacing a, in combination with thesupporting-strap 0., secured to said thigh-section A by means of the twofront straps, b b, and "rear strap, 0, whereby the foot can be turned inor out, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an artificial leg, the leg section D, having theshoulders K andholes h, in combination with the solid foot G, hinged to saidleg-section, and provided with the pins H and springs I, substantiallyas and for the pur-. pose shown and described.

3. The combination of the supporting-strap G, thigh-socket A, knee-joint6, having the shoulders e, leg-section D, foot G, pins H, and springs I,substantially as and for th purpose shown and described. V

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM D. LEWIS.

